Research Fellow in Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

University of Warwick; Coventry; Presencial; GBP 35.000 - 46.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

The Nelson group in the University setting seeks a Research Assistant/Research Fellow to investigate conserved gene regulatory programmes in nervous system and pancreas development. You will work with imaging of human hindbrain organoids and single-cell multiomics analysis, within a state-of-the-art building with cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Initial appointment aligns with PhD submission status; upon award, promotion to Research Fellow is expected.

Formación

• PhD in vertebrate developmental biology, gene regulation or related field and substantial practical experience in molecular biology.
• Full training provided for techniques as needed.

Responsabilidades

• Lead an ambitious experimental genetics project using human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids and zebrafish.
• Dissect the function and regulatory logic of highly conserved enhancers in nervous system and pancreas development.
• Combine CRISPR-mediated editing, single-cell multiomics, and phenotypic analysis of organoids.
• Perform fine-detail functional analysis of enhancer composition in vivo using zebrafish reporters.
• Manage multiple experimental lines in parallel and drive day-to-day work.

Conocimientos

CRISPR genome editing

Stem cell differentiation

Single-cell omics

Zebrafish imaging

Data analysis

Educación

PhD in vertebrate developmental biology

Herramientas

Organoid culture

Zebrafish husbandry

Descripción del empleo

About the Role

This position available in the Nelson group is to investigate conserved gene regulatory programmes governing nervous system and pancreas development, funded by a BBSRC standard research grant.

The objective is to understand the basis for deep and stringent conservation of enhancers at critical transcription factor genes acting in both pancreas and nervous system development throughout jawed vertebrate evolution, thus illuminating key mechanisms governing conservation of the vertebrate body plan and how enhancer mutations may lead to developmental disorders.

The post-holder will work closely with other members of the Nelson group and collaborate with Dr Robert Huckstepp’s group in School of Life Sciences to perform imaging analysis of human hindbrain organoids, and the Bioinformatics & Digital Health Research Technology Platform to perform single cell multiomics data analysis.

The project will take place in the recently opened £54.3m Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, combining cutting-edge facilities with research groups from School of Life Sciences and Warwick Medical School working on related projects and systems including in the fields of developmental biology, neuroscience, human organoid and zebrafish research.

If you are near submission of your PhD, or have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made at Research Assistant level, at the highest spinal point of pay grade 5 (£34,610 per annum). Upon receipt of evidence confirming the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow, at the lowest spinal point of grade 6 (£35,608 per annum).

For details on the experience and skills required, please refer to the job description (link here).

About You

The successful candidate will hold a PhD in vertebrate developmental biology, gene regulation, or a closely related field, and substantial practical experience of experimental molecular biology. The candidate should be able to establish and optimise new techniques in the laboratory, and to manage several experimental lines in parallel. It is recognised that the successful candidate is unlikely to have experience of all techniques required by the project. Full training will be provided where required.

The successful candidate will lead an ambitious experimental genetics project exploiting human pluripotent stem cell derived organoids and zebrafish to dissect the function and regulatory logic of highly conserved enhancers functioning across the developing nervous system and pancreas. The work will combine CRISPR-mediated genome editing, single cell multiomics, and phenotypic analysis of human organoids, and fine-detail functional analysis of enhancer composition using zebrafish in vivo reporter assays.

We expect you to arrive with strengths in some of the following areas: mammalian pluripotent stem cell maintenance and directed differentiation, CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, functional genomics and transcriptomics, single cell multiomics, and zebrafish imaging-based techniques. Full training will be provided across the remaining areas.

The successful applicant will lead the day-to-day experimental and analytical work.

£35,608 to £46,049 per annum